41 



XV. 



ROSACEA. 



THE CHERRY. 



CERASUS. 



The cherry comes under the lar^je order of 

 Rosacece, a group of plants well known for their 

 beauty, fragrance, and grateful products, and 

 comprising, besides the roses, laurels, and spiraeas, 

 the apricot, the strawberry, the blackberry, and a 

 large number of our popular plants. Whether the 

 Latin appellation of the cherry is derived from the 

 town in Pontus of that name, or whether the town 

 took its name from the cherry trees growing in its 

 neighbourhood, remains a matter of conjecture. 



C. svlvcstris, the wild cherry, is believed to be 

 indigenous to the British Islands. The cherry 

 referred to by Pliny, as having been brought to 

 Italy by LucuUus nearly two thousand years ago, 

 is said to have been probably C. vulgaris, or some 

 of its cultivated varieties that grow in our orchards 

 and gardens. 



The cheerfulness of the early profusion of white 

 blossoms in spring, at a time when other trees are 

 only unfolding their buds, and the lovely foliage in 



